Study Reveals Why Taxi and Ambulance Drivers Are Less Likely to Die from Alzheimer's

A study published in the British medical journal suggests that taxi and ambulance drivers may be at less risk from Alzheimer's because of the demands of their work.

Alzheimer's is a common form of dementia, symptoms include memory loss, personality change and difficulty speaking. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, and in severe cases the affected person may not remember close family members or even their own name.

Navigating The World In Real Time

Medical research organisation, Mass General Brigham, based in the US, conducted the research, which looked at the risk of death caused by Alzheimer's across 443 different professions.

The man behind the project, Vishal Patel, wanted to test the theory that professions that require the ability to navigate your environment in real time, might reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.

Patel said, 'The same part of the brain that's involved in creating cognitive spatial maps - which we use to navigate the world around us - is also involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

'We hypothesised that occupations such as taxi driving and ambulance driving, which demand real-time spatial and navigational processing, might be associated with a reduced burden of Alzheimer's disease mortality compared with other occupations.'

Study Findings

The study found that, across the 443 different professions, 3.88 per cent of people eventually died from Alzheimer's. However, among taxi and ambulance drivers, that figure fell to 1.03 per cent and 0.74 per cent respectively.

The researchers however noted that while there was an apparent reduction in Alzheimer's rates for taxi and ambulance drivers, there was no noticeable difference when considering other forms of dementia.

Senior author, Anupam B. Jenna, said 'Our results highlight the possibility that neurological changes in the hippocampus or elsewhere among taxi and ambulance drivers may account for the lower rates of Alzheimer's disease.'

'We view these findings not as conclusive, but as hypothesis-generating. But they suggest that it's important to consider how occupations may affect risk of death from Alzheimer's disease and whether any cognitive activities can be potentially preventive.'

How To Minimise Dementia Risk

The research noted that other transport related jobs, such as airline pilots and bus drivers, apparently received no additional protection against Alzheimer's likely due to their jobs requiring regular routes rather than real time navigation.

According to the NHS, healthy living is one of the best ways to avoid dementia. Regular exercise, minimal alcohol, no cigarettes and eating your 'five-a-day' and keeping an eye on blood pressure are all recommended steps to minimise the risk of dementia.